Mary Calista Newhard Adams, 99

Mary was born the second of 4 siblings (George Joseph, Horace Bixby and Persis Effie) to Josephine McCabe and George Newhard. Mary’s middle name, Calista, means “most beautiful” in Greek. And those who knew her most certainly agreed that she was beautiful in every way. She grew up in Carey, OH in NW Ohio. Mary remembered that her father never left the house without giving her mother a kiss; and Mary, likewise, was consistent in her demonstration of physical affection. The house was small, but always full of visitors. Mary was raised to believe that there was always “room for one more”. After high school, Mary attended Ohio Wesleyan University, in Delaware, OH, continuing the legacy of the McCabe family. Mary enjoyed her years there (1943-1947), in particular because the naval aviation cadets (V-5 & V-12s) were in training there. Mary was a Pi Phi and majored in English; and upon graduation she worked for Proctor & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH as a market researcher. She referred to this time as her “streetwalking days” as she travelled all over the country, knocking on doors, and asking the “lady of the house” if she could talk to them about their cleaning products. Mary particularly enjoyed her trips to San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago and Buffalo. She recounted how she didn’t have to work when she was sent to Quebec City in the dead of winter because it was too cold and snowy, and she could just play cards with her colleagues in the hotel room. Mary married Dan Adams in May of 1953 just after her 28th birthday (which by then she was considered a spinster). She believed that Dan was the best kisser there ever was. Their honeymoon was a horseback trip with two of Dan’s siblings and their spouses in the Gila Wilderness near the ghost town of Mogollon, NM. The other 5 were experienced horseback riders, but even though Mary was scared (having very little experience with horses), she was ready for an adventure. It was one of the many they had together over their 58 years of marriage. And they shared these adventures with their 4 children: Tony, Mike, and then the twins, Eve and Ann. Mary became quite experienced at relocating the family and establishing a new community of friends in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, Ohio and England as Dan’s job took him to many locales. As a deeply spiritual and religious person, Mary always sought out a church community. Throughout her life she was an active member at Christ (Carey, OH) Zion, (Waterville, OH), Mount Cross (Payson, AZ) and Peace (Las Cruces, NM) Lutheran churches, and All Souls’ Anglican Church (South Ascot, England). Mary and Dan’s last relocation as a couple was to Payson, AZ. However, they also travelled around the world as Dan engaged in volunteer business consulting. Mary was always the willing travel companion and volunteer as they went to Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Poland and Russia. When they weren’t traveling internationally, they were often on the byways of the US for their summer tour, which usually lasted 2-3 months, covering thousands of miles as they visited a few hundred friends and family. On these trips, Mary particularly enjoyed her visits with extended family and all of her nieces and nephews, and their offspring, who referred to her as “Aunt Peachy.” When they were home, Mary was the consummate host to many visitors, particularly to her children, their partners (Betsy and Ellen) and her grandchildren, Ben and Jesse. Dan and Mary lived in Payson for over 25 years before Dan died in 2011. Shortly thereafter, Mary decided to move to Las Cruces to live near her daughter at Good Samaritan Village. She enjoyed the residents, staff and activities at “Good Sams”, worshiped at Peace Lutheran and was a regular attendee at the PFLAG fundraiser and Las Cruces symphony. She was a big supporter of grandson Jesse’s fundraisers and school activities, and she became an integral part of the Adams-Cahill community of friends. As more care was needed, Mary moved up to Albuquerque to Morningstar Assisted Living and Memory Care. This move allowed her to spend more time with Ann, Ellen, and her granddaughter-in-law Kait and her great-grandchildren, Isaiah and Kyrie. We want to thank the staff of Morningstar, Ambercare Hospice and the dynamic duo of angelic sisters of Marta Rubio and Betty Clark for their help in making Mom feel cared for. Mary often said, “I think I’ve had a great life, don’t you?” We quite agree. Her positive attitude will be remembered by all those who knew her. Even in her final days she was smiling and kissing our hands. In honor and memory of Mary’s beautiful life we ask that you make a donation to any organization that helps those less fortunate. She was particularly fond of donations to Doctors Without Borders, Lutheran World Relief/Lutheran Family Services and Roadrunner Foodbank.

Funeral arragements: A celebration of life will be held on April 5th at 10 AM at Peace Lutheran Church. All are welcome to attend in person or virtually at: https://m.youtube.com/@peacelutheranchurch1668